What Can Obama Accomplish Without Congressional Support?

A local political science professor says there are some things President Obama can accomplish this year without the support of Congress.

The President pledged in his State of the Union address last night to "take action" even if it means acting unilaterally.

Professor Timothy Kneeland of Nazareth College says Obama can do that by setting a certain tone, as he plans to do with the minimum wage. “He said he would raise the minimum wage in future contracts with the federal government to $10.10. That certainly is not going to affect more than 100,000 to 200,000 people in the long run. But the 40-hour work week was pioneered in some ways by the federal government showcasing that and encouraging other entities to follow along.”

Kneeland says there may be some areas where we see a bridge in bipartisanship in Washington this year. One is immigration reform. Kneeland says Republicans and Democrats may be willing to come to an agreement on that issue with the midterm elections coming up in November.